Human Factors and the analysis of the human - equipment and human - facility interfaces

accepted engineering safety standards and practices

Codes & Standards and Recommended Practices

Safety design is performed based on the the Safety Design Hierarchy, which is the accepted system for design of safe equipment, systems, products and facilities. The Safety Design Hierarchy requires designing for safety as follows:

first, design out the safety hazards in equipment, products and facilities

second, use safeguards to protect from those safety hazards which cannot be designed out

third, use warnings for those safety hazards which cannot be designed out and for which safeguards cannot be used to protect from the safety hazard*

fourth, use warnings to complement safeguards when this adds to the safety of the installation where safeguards are used to protect from hazards

●Safety design includes:

●Safety design in application is based on:

do NOT use warnings in place of safeguards or designing out a hazard, when safeguards or designing out the hazard is feasible

do NOT use safeguards in place of designing out a hazard, when designing out a hazard is feasible

●Design using the Safety Design Hierarchy has prohibitions as follows:

Safety Design principles

Safety Design Hierarchy

*If the sole safety feature to protect against a hazard with a piece of equipment, system, product or facility would be a warning, it may not be acceptable to use the equipment, system, product or facility without eliminating the hazard, depending on the circumstances and severity of the hazard, and availability of alternative equipment, systems, etc. for the same use, which must be determined from engineering analysis. Providing a warning for a piece of equipment, system, product or facility does not automatically meet the requirements of the safety design hierarchy when it is not possible to use a safeguard with the equipment, system, product or facility as it is designed.

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Safety Design is based to a significant degree on Human Factors. Human Factors and Safety Design are the bases for the use of Safeguards and Warnings. Safeguards and Warnings are required by Safety Design principles. Human Factors and Safety Design are an important part of the basis for many generally accepted Codes, Standards and Recommended Practices. These subject areas are all closely related.

as a forensic engineer for over 30 years, routinely use the principles of safety design in the engineering analysis of accidents, and equipment and facilities involved in accidents, including analyzing Safeguards and Warnings which are present, and analyzing for the need for Safeguards and/or Warnings

organized, participated in and supervised the writing of a Design Manual for the design of boiler systems to meet safety design requirements and the ASME Boiler Code and other applicable codes and standard.

designed and presented courses to Design Engineers covering the design of safety relief devices and safety relief systems

designed specialized safety and air pollution control systems, including flares, vents, foam fire protection systems and similar systems, as well as safety devices including safety and overpressure relief valves, rupture discs, overpressure blowout panels

organized, participated in and supervised the writing of Design Manuals for equipment, machinery, piping, valving and instrumentation to meet safety design requirements and applicable codes, standards and recommended practices

assured the technical quality of engineering designs, especially of the safety design of equipment and facilities, design of safety facilities, safeguards and warnings, through hands-on reviews and formal technical reviews and approvals of engineering designs of industrial and manufacturing facilities, piping, valving, instrumentation, equipment and machinery

during 17 years in industrial operations and engineering design used Safety Design as an integral part of engineering design of all industrial and manufacturing equipment and facilities including specification of Safeguards and Warnings, which required the use of Safety Design and the Safety Design Hierarchy

Combined, Engineering and Normal Psychology are the scientific bases of Human Factors and the related studies of the human-machine interface, human-facility interface, and responses to hazards, which comprise a significant part of the foundation for Safety Design and Safety Design Analysis. James D. Madden, P.E. has specific education in Engineering and Normal Psychology, as follows:

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Experience and Qualifications of James D. Madden, P.E. in regard to Safety Design

as part of the Bachelors and Masters degrees in Engineering, and college work after receiving the degrees, he took extensive coursework in Engineering

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● he minored in Normal Psychology, as part of the Bachelors degree work

earned the Professional Engineers license (P.E.) by taking the National Council of Engineering Examiners' examination in Fundamentals of Engineering and the Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering sections of the National Council of Engineering Examiners' (NCEE) examination in Principles and Practices of Engineering

Safety features, such as Safeguards and Warnings, are based on Safety Design principles and Human Factors. The use of these safety features is an integral part of Safety Design. The principles of Safety Design are routinely involved in our engineering analysis for the need for Safeguards and/or Warnings when one or the other is not present. The principles of Safety Design are also routinely involved in our analysis of Safeguards and Warnings which are present, for their appropriateness and sufficiency. Our Analysis of the requirements for Safeguards and Warnings is a routine aspect of our engineering analysis of equipment, facilities and operations.

Our Work using Safety Design Principles in Forensic Engineering Work

In the Forensic Engineering work in the Forensic Specialties, the principles of Safety Design, especially the Safety Design Hierarchy, are an integral routine

Engineering analysis using the principles of Safety Design for safety hazards and protection includes analysis of residential, commercial, industrial, manufacturing and construction equipment and associated facilities, and components associated with this equipment. Engineering analysis using the principles of Safety Design for safety hazards and protection includes analysis of facilities and consumer products from the simple to the complex. The application of Safety Design principles, along with Human Factors, is a routine and integral part of our engineering analysis of the safety of equipment, consumer products, all types of facilities, industrial and commercial operations, and construction activities.

Safety Design includes designing equipment to reduce or eliminate hazards in the use of the equipment, the specification of safeguards, as required, including guards, light curtains, double operating buttons, safety instrumentation, etc., and the designing or specification of warnings as required.

Safety Design principles, along with Human Factors, are part of the bases of the best Codes, Standards and Recommended Practices. We routinely use Codes, Standards and Recommended Practices in our engineering analysis, and the associated principles of Safety Design included in these Codes and Standards.

aspect of the engineering analysis of equipment and facilities involved in accidents, including the analysis of the specific requirements to Design Out Hazards, or use Safeguards and Warnings, versus the actual design of the equipment and the Safeguards and Warnings present.

Safety Design - Table of Contents - links to content on this page

Madden Accident Analysis & Forensic Engineering, through its Senior Forensic Engineer, James D. Madden, P.E., a licensed professional engineer, has performed Accident Investigations, Engineering Analyses and Accident Reconstructionsfor accidents, incidents and cases in the metropolitan areas of Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Toledo, Warren, Youngstown, Mansfield, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Lima, Findlay, Marietta and Steubenville, as well elsewhere throughout Ohio, and the metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh and Erie, as well as elsewhere throughout western and central Pennsylvania, and the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Flint and Port Huron, as well as elsewhere in southern Michigan, and the metropolitan areas of Buffalo and Syracuse, as well as elsewhere in western and central New York state. In many of these areas James D. Madden, P.E. has provided expert reports and testified in the capacity of an Expert Witness in court proceedings, including depositions, arbitrations and/or trials.

Madden Accident Analysis & Forensic Engineering, through its Senior Forensic Engineer James D. Madden, P.E., is available for Accident Investigations, Engineering Analyses, Accident Reconstructions, and testimony in deposition, arbitration and trial, for cases located throughout North America.

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Over the last 30 years we have regularly worked on accidents which occurred in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York and nearby, including inspections of accident sites, equipment, and facilities, with reports and testimony. During these 30 years we have also worked on accidents which occurred in other states, and equipment and facilities located in other states, with inspections of accident sites, equipment, and facilities, from Utah and Kansas to Vermont and North Carolina, with reports and testimony for these accidents, when applicable.

Geographic Area of Practice - North America

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Our Typical Work Activities and Products, when warranted by the case

● written reports and affidavits

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James D. Madden, P.E., while performing Forensic Engineering work full-time for over

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Madden Accident Analysis & Forensic Engineering, through its Senior Forensic Engineer, James D. Madden, P.E., a licensed professional engineer, has performed Accident Investigations, Engineering Analyses and Accident Reconstructionsroutinely for accidents, incidents and cases located in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York, in the technical areas which are noted in this website, as well as providing expert reports and testifying in court proceedings in these states in the capacity of an Expert Witness, including depositions, arbitrations and/or trials, with Forensic Engineering work also performed in, and/or for cases in, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, Vermont, Kansas and Utah, with testimony in court in Kansas.